Multi-level matching facilitating delivery of enhanced content

ABSTRACT

A server receives a message from a subscriber. The message includes a subscriber identifier and one or more one or more first identifying attributes associated with a first media-work played-out by the subscriber. The server performs a first-level match between the first identifying attributes and unique identifiers included in a database. In response to the first-level match indicating that the first identifying attributes do not include any of unique identifiers, the server performs a second-level match, which compares the first identifying attributes to content attributes of different media-works linked to the unique identifiers. In response to the second-level match identifying one or more matching first identifying attributes to the content attributes that are linked to a particular unique identifier included in the database, the server selects enhanced content based on the particular unique identifier, and delivers that enhanced content to the subscriber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation of U.S. Utility application Ser. No.16/106,242, entitled “DELIVERY OF BROADCAST-RELATED CONTENT TAGGED BYOFFLINE DEVICE”, filed Aug. 21, 2018, scheduled to issue as U.S. Pat.No. 10,693,931 on 6/23/2020, which is a continuation of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 15/637,669, entitled “DELIVERY OF CONTENTASSOCIATED WITH A BROADCAST WORK”, filed Jun. 29, 2017, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,063,607 on Aug. 28, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 15/279,826, entitled “DELIVERY OF ENHANCED CONTENTRELATED TO A BROADCAST WORK”, filed Sep. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,729,597 on Aug. 8, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 14/639,355, entitled “DELIVERY OF ENHANCED CONTENTRELATED TO A BROADCAST WORK”, filed Mar. 5, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,462,023 on Oct. 4, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 12/475,288 entitled “DELIVERING CONTENT ASSOCIATEDWITH A UNIQUE IDENTIFIER”, filed May 29, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.8,977,220 on Mar. 10, 2015, all of which are hereby incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S. UtilityPatent Application for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to delivering contentassociated with a unique identifier, and more particularly to using theunique identifier to facilitate delivery of broadcast-related contenttagged by an offline device.

BACKGROUND

Currently available commercial AM/FM radio broadcasts may include bothprimary content, for example a song, and secondary content, such as thesong's title or the call letters and frequency of the radio stationbroadcasting the song. Radios that comply with various standards, forexample High Definition (HD) or Radio Data Signal (RDS) radios candisplay the secondary content on a screen, while the primary content isbeing played on speakers. Other systems are known to broadcast primaryand secondary content via an Internet radio station, thereby allowing anInternet user to listen to the primary content and view the secondarycontent using a computer equipped with a browser or other suitablesoftware.

Both AM/FM and Internet broadcasts, therefore, essentially broadcast thesame collection of primary and secondary content to everyone. Theseknown arrangements are less than perfect.

SUMMARY

A processing system can provide media items and other broadcastinformation to a broadcaster, which broadcasts the media items to a userdevice that is not currently connected to the processing system via acommunications network. Using the user device, a user can tag selectedbroadcast content when offline, and then transfer information about thetagged content to a processing system when the user device is eventuallyconnected to a network. The processing system can identify contentrelated to the tagged content, and upload that related content to theend user device.

Both the broadcast content and the information about the tagged contentcan include unified numbering system (UNS) identifiers, or time andstation information. The processing system can use this information, inconjunction with user preferences in some cases, to select content to beuploaded to the end-user device. The content to be uploaded can includethe tagged media item itself, sponsor contact information, or othertypes of content.

The present disclosure may also take the form of a system, method, and anon-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program ofcomputer executable instructions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of this disclosure will become apparent upon reading thefollowing detailed description and upon reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a broadcasting system employing a unifiednumbering system (UNS) to deliver content to subscribers according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of a UNS processingsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating information flow between variouselements of an interactive system according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of tracking publicperformances according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating matching a work to a UNSidentifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating interactive delivery of contentaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a high-level block diagram of a processing system according toembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosuredepicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in suchdetail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount ofdetail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations ofembodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Various embodiments described in this disclosure permit content from anumber of different content providers—each of which may utilize adifferent, proprietary numbering or identification scheme—to beaccessed, processed, tracked, or otherwise handled based on anoverarching, or unified numbering system (UNS). Such a numbering system,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, can allowtracking of content from multiple different content libraries forvarious purposes. Various embodiments of the present disclosure canutilize a UNS to facilitate, for example, verifying that a particularwork has been publicly performed, establishing royalty payments toorganizations assigned to collect those payments, such as the AmericanSociety of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast MusicIncorporated (BMI), to set advertising rates, or the like.

Various embodiments can employ matching techniques to conformidentifiers that might be used by multiple different music libraries,advertisers, or other content providers into a common, unified numberingsystem. For example, some embodiments include systems and methods thatallow a song or other work having multiple different aliases to belinked or associated with a single unique identifier to facilitatetracking, or other suitable uses of information associated with a work.

Some embodiments can take advantage of a UNS as part of interactivecontent delivery. For example, a subscriber can provide a processingsystem with information about preferences, such as the type ofinformation a user desires to receive in conjunction with the broadcastof a song or other work. One subscriber may request to receiveinformation limited to song titles, while another can requestinformation about an artist performing the song, the year the song wasreleased, the song's chart ranking, or the like.

Various embodiments can deliver different information to differentsubscribers during a time when each of the different subscribers isreceiving the same broadcast work. Furthermore, some embodiments permita subscriber to record preferences on a portable device while receivinga broadcast of the work. The subscriber can subsequently connect theportable device to a network, such as the Internet, to provide thepreferences to a server, which will respond to the subscriber'spreferences by providing content associated with the work beingbroadcast at the time the subscriber recorded his preference.

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a broadcasting system employinga UNS is illustrated according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. System 100 includes processing system 120, which is incommunication with content library A 113, content library B 115, andcontent library C 117. Processing system 120 may also be incommunication with a UNS database 105 and an enhancement library 107.Content library A 113 can provide processing system 120 with informationassociated with various works, including songs, advertisements, or thelike, indexed using a proprietary, or nonproprietary numbering or otheridentification system. The indexing format in which content library A113 provides information to processing system 120 may be different fromthe indexing format of information provided by content library B 115,and different still from that used by content library C 117. Processingsystem 120 can receive information from all three content libraries 113115 and 117, and assign each work from the various content libraries aunique number. The unique number associated with each element of contentprovides a single unified numbering system for all the content,regardless of its source.

Processing system 120 can also be in communication with UNS database 105and enhancement library 107. UNS database 105 can store uniqueidentifiers and other information linking content from content librariesA 113, B 115, and C 117 in a uniform manner. So, for example, whenprocessing system 120 receives content, a numeric, alphanumeric, orother identifier selected from a single set of identifiers can beassociated with the received content, and the identifier stored in UNSdatabase 105.

In some embodiments, UNS database 105 stores not only identifiersassociated with received content, but also the content itself, and otherrelated information. For example, when processing system 120 retrievescontent from one of the content libraries A 113, B 115, or C 117,processing system 120 can also retrieve enhanced content fromenhancement library 107. An association can be established between theinformation received from enhancement library 107 and content retrievedfrom content libraries A 113, B 115, or C 117. In some embodiments, theenhanced content may be added, updated, or otherwise integrated withcontent received from content libraries A 113, B 115, or C 117, andstored along with that content in UNS database 105.

Enhanced content from enhancement library 107 may include informationsuch as song titles, song length, song release dates, artists, authors,owners, aliases, chart rankings, or other desired information. It shouldbe noted that content from content libraries A 113, B 115, and C 117 isnot necessarily limited to songs and information related to songs. Forexample, content library A 113 may include video and relatedinformation, content library B 115 may store audio and relatedinformation, and content library C 117 may provide commercialinformation such as advertisements or the like.

The various types of content contained in content libraries A 113, B115, and C may be referred to as “works” in the present disclosure.Furthermore, as used herein, the term “works” is intended to include ata minimum content that falls within the meaning of works as used incopyright law, but is not intended to be limited to only copyrighteligible content. Instead, the term works is meant to be interpreted inits broadest sense as including any of various perceivable content thatmay be delivered by processing system 120, or another suitableprocessing system, to subscribers, end-users, or other systems.

As used herein, the term “subscriber” is intended to encompass not onlyindividuals, companies, or other entities who pay a fee or register toreceive particular services, although such entities are envisionedwithin the term subscriber. Instead, the term subscriber may alsoinclude individual end-users, viewers and listeners, or other entitiesto which processing system 120 may deliver a work, regardless of whetherthe delivered work includes enhanced content or otherwise. In someembodiments, for example, “subscriber” may refer to an intermediary,such as a broadcaster. But “subscriber” may also refer to an end userwho receives the content from the broadcaster.

Processing system 120 can be used to provide works and related contentto subscriber A 131, subscriber B 133, and subscriber C 135. SubscriberA 131 can receive information from processing system 120 and providethat information via broadcast equipment 141 to a portable receiver 151.Note that broadcast equipment 141 can include any of various terrestrialbroadcasting stations, units, and other equipment. Portable receiver 151is depicted as a personal digital assistant (PDA), but is not solimited. Portable receiver 151 may also include any suitable portable orfixed location device, such as a cellular or other wireless telephone, alaptop or other mobile computing device, a portable radio, a digital oranalog music player, or the like, that allows a user in possession ofthe device to receive broadcast signals or other terrestrial wirelesssignals from broadcast equipment 141.

Likewise, processing system 120 can be used to provide works and relatedcontent to subscriber B 133, which in turn transmits informationreceived from processing system 120 via satellite 143 to satellitereceiver 153. Although satellite receiver 153 is depicted as a vehicle,it is not so limited, and may include any suitable device capable ofreceiving satellite broadcast signals. Such devices may include radios,digital or analog music players, mapping devices, or other similardevices capable of receiving a satellite signal.

Processing system 120 can also be used to provide works and relatedcontent to subscriber C 135, which can transmit received content tonetworked receiver 155 via network 145. Although networked receiver 155is illustrated as a laptop computer, it is not so limited. Networkedreceiver 155 may include any of various devices capable of communicationvia a wireless or wired network, and can include various radios,personal computing devices, workstations, laptops, PDAs, smart phones,or the like.

Network 145 may include any of various local or wide area networks,including a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, a home or business local area network, or the like.Subscriber C 135 may be, for example, an Internet provider, televisionbroadcaster, radio station, music service, or the like that providesworks or associated content via network 145. Network 145 can includeelements and subsystems in common with broadcast equipment 141 andsatellite 143. Furthermore, a single device (not illustrated) may becapable of serving multiple functions, and may include communicationinterfaces permitting that single device to act as a portable receiver151, a satellite receiver 153, and a networked receiver 15.

In general operation, processing system 120 can receive information fromone or more of content library A 113, content library B 115, and contentlibrary C 117. The received information can be enhanced with informationfrom enhancement library 107, and associated with a unique number fromUNS database 105. Processing system 120 may store the informationreceived from the content libraries in UNS database 105 or in anothersuitable storage device, or may simply pass through the content,enhanced or unenhanced, to one or more of subscriber A 131, subscriber B133, and subscriber C 135. In addition to the content, processing system120 can provide from UNS database 105 the unique identifier associatedwith the content.

The content provided to subscriber A 131 need not be the same contentprovided to subscriber B 133 or subscriber C 135. In some embodiments,for example although the same work is provided to multiple subscribers,each subscriber can be provided different enhanced content. Subscriber A131, for example, may receive a minimal amount of enhanced contentincluding a title, while subscriber B 133 receives additional enhancedcontent, such as a title, the work's release date, the work's highestBillboard chart ranking, and the name of the work's author. By providingsubscriber A 131, subscriber B 133, and subscriber C 135 with contentfrom one of content library A 113, content library B 115, and contentlibrary C 117 in conjunction with a unique identifier from UNS database105 associated with that content, processing system 120 can provideimproved tracking and monitoring of content delivered to portablereceiver 151, satellite receiver 153, and networked receiver 155.

Referring next to FIG. 2, various embodiments of a processing system 200are disclosed. Processing system 200 can receive works or other contentfrom various sources, and can assign the works unique identifiers thatare part of a unified numbering system. In some embodiments, a work isprovided to a broadcaster along with its unique identifier. Thebroadcaster or another entity can provide a message to processing system200 indicating that a work is being broadcast. In response to themessage, processing system 200 can match the work identified in themessage with one of the works assigned a unique number. The matching canpermit more effective management of the works.

Processing system 200 can include server system 220, which can receiveworks from provider A, provider B, and provider C, and deliver enhancedinformation to broadcasters or other subscribers. Additionally, serversystem 220 can receive a push-now-playing (PNP) message from abroadcaster or other source indicating that a particular work isscheduled to be broadcast in the near future, or that the work iscurrently being broadcast. A PNP message, for example, can include alist of the next 10 songs, advertisements, spots, or other works abroadcaster is intending to broadcast or otherwise deliver to end users.The first work on the list can indicate a work that is currently beingdelivered, the second work can indicate the very next work to bedelivered, and so on. In some embodiments, a series of one or more PNPmessages can be received from each subscriber at predetermined periodsof time, with each PNP message being updated with more recentinformation.

Server system 220 can include data pull subsystem 227, which obtainsprovider A content, provider B content, and provider C content;transformation subsystem 223, which can convert some or all of thecontent obtained by data pull subsystem 227 into a desired format usableby server system 220. In some embodiments, transformation subsystem 223selectively converts songs, advertisements and other content based onwhether or not the content is already in a format suitable forprocessing by the remainder of server system 220. For example,transformation subsystem 223 can transform provider A content andprovider B content, but pass provider C content to other portions ofserver system 220 without transformation. In some embodiments, data pullsubsystem 227 includes circuitry or logic that can deliver contentdirectly to UNS database 219, content database 221, or another portionof server system 220, thereby bypassing transformation subsystem 223. Insome embodiments, transformation subsystem 223 can leave the majority ofthe content received from data pull subsystem 227 unaltered, and beutilized primarily for transforming identifying information, such asproprietary numbering systems, into a suitable format for use by serversystem 220.

In some embodiments, songs, advertisements, and other works included inprovider A content, provider B content, and provider C content can bestored in content database 221, while identifying information associatedwith the works is separated from the works and stored in UNS database219, enhancing database 213, or another desired location separate fromthe location in which the works are stored. In some such embodiments,appropriate database links are stored along with the works and theidentifying information, so that the relationships between theseparately stored works and identifying information can be maintained.In some embodiments, however, works and identifying information can bestored together.

UNS database 219 can store unique identifiers and other informationassociated with works included in provider A content, provider Bcontent, and provider C content. UNS database 219 can also exchangeinformation with subscriber management service 209, content database221, matching subsystem 215, and enhancing database 213. In someembodiments, enhanced data from enhancing database 213 and informationfrom UNS database 219 can be provided to web service 205, which can inturn provide that information to broadcasters or other subscribers.

Subscriber management service 209 can include various tools to allowsubscribers, to transmit their preferences to server system 220.Subscriber management service 209 can also provide a subscriber with theability to add or remove particular works or associated content frominformation transmitted to the subscriber from server system 220. Forexample, a subscriber may indicate that he does not want to receive aparticular song from server system 220, or that along with each songprovided by server system 220 the subscriber wants to receive particularenhancing data—either for the subscriber's own consumption, or to bebroadcast to end-users or other entities.

Matching subsystem 215 can match information included in incomingmessages to information stored in the UNS database to facilitatetracking works that have been publicly performed. For example, a PNPmessage can include information associated with a work to be publiclyperform, including a UNS identifier associated with a particular song.If a PNP message includes a UNS identifier, matching subsystem 215verifies that UNS identifier included in the PNP message matches a UNSidentifier stored in the UNS database. If the UNS identifier in the PNPmessage matches a UNS identifier stored in the UNS database, serversystem 220 can retrieve the work associated with the UNS identifier fromcontent database 221 and enhancing data associated with the UNSidentifier from enhancing database 213. The work and the enhancing datacan be provided to web service 205, which in turn delivers tosubscribers the work associated with the UNS identifier contained in thePNP message.

In some instances, the PNP message may not contain a UNS identifier.Where a PNP message does not contain a UNS identifier a work can bematched to a UNS identifier associated with a known work based on otherinformation. For example, a PNP message can contain information such asa song's title, or the artist's name. A PNP message can also include astation identifier and an indication of when the work was broadcast.Matching subsystem 215 can attempt to identify which of the uniquenumbers in UNS database 219 is associated with a work having the samesong title, artist, or other information included in the PNP message

If a match is found, web service 205 can be provided with the workassociated with the UNS identified, along with enhanced data fromenhancing database 213. The desired type and scope of enhanced dataprovided to a broadcaster or other subscriber can be regulated based onindicated subscriber preferences, which can be stored in subscribermanagement service 209.

In some instances, a PNP message, may not include information that canbe matched to a UNS identifier stored in UNS database 219. In thatevent, matching subsystem 215 can generate a no-match indicator, andprovide that indicator to another system (not illustrated) for furtherreview and matching by humans, if necessary.

Web service 205 can provide to subscribers content that includes a UNSidentifier from UNS database 219. The UNS identifier can be provided inconjunction with an advertisement, a song, or other work. When asubscriber broadcasts or plays the work, it can provide server system220 with a PNP message that indicates works that may be played, havebeen played, or are scheduled to be played. Server system 220, can usematching subsystem 215, along with the information included in the PNPmessage to ensure that the proper entity receives appropriatecompensation for the use of their work. For example, rather than payinga fee based solely on the general popularity of a song, or the averagenumber of times a work is aired, some embodiments facilitate payment ofroyalties based on the number of times a work is actually publicperformed. Likewise, rather than setting advertising rates basedprimarily on demographic data, server system 220 can determine eachinstance a particular spot is played, broadcast, or aired, and setadvertising rates based on that determination.

Referring next to FIG. 3, an interactive system 300 according to variousembodiments is disclosed. Interactive system 300 includes processingsystem 320, which can provide broadcast content to broadcasters 315, andcan receive user selections generated at end-user device 305. Userselections can be transmitted to processing system 320 via computer 309,which is connected to processing system 320 through networks 313.Processing system 320 can also provide user content to end-user device305 based on the selections received from end-user device 305.

Broadcasters 315 can receive broadcast content via network 313, andtransmit some or all of the received content utilizing broadcastequipment 307. The broadcast content can include songs, videos,advertisements, or other works to be broadcast. Broadcast content canalso include enhanced content, a UNS identifier associated with the workor the enhanced content, and other information as desired. Some or allof the broadcast content may be used internally by the broadcaster,broadcast for reception by end user device 305, or both. The format ofthe content being broadcast by broadcasting equipment 307 can includeHD, HD2, or RDS compliant radio signals, or other suitable broadcastingsignal formats.

End-user device 305 may be equipped with a radio tuner that receives HD,HD2 or RDS radio signals that include information in addition totraditional AM/FM content. In some embodiments, however, end-user device305 requires no special receiver equipment. End-user device 305 may alsoinclude a selection button (not illustrated) that allows a user ofend-user device 305 to tag, mark, or otherwise select certain broadcastspots or other portions of a broadcast for future action. End-userdevice 305 may also include other selection mechanisms, including atouch screen device, a track ball, a wheel, or any other device suitablefor controlling and selecting.

Consider the following example, in which end-user device 305 isreceiving a broadcast of a song the user of end-user device 305 findsappealing. The user can press a selection button or otherwise utilizeend-user device 305 to generate an indication that marks or tags thesong, or marks the then-current time and station to which end-userdevice 305 is tuned. In some embodiments the selection can be made atany time during the song, or for a short period of time after the songhas finished.

Later, when the end-user device can be connected to computer 309, forexample via a docking station, a wireless connection, or otherwise,end-user device 305 can initiate a transfer of information indicatingthe earlier selection made by the user to processing system 320 viacomputer 309 and network 313. In some embodiments a device other thanend-user device 305 may initiate the transfer. In response to receivingthe user's selection, processing system 320 can upload user content toend-user device 305 via network 313 and computer 309. In someembodiments, the content sent by processing system 320 can be deliveredto a destination other than end-user device 305, depending on userpreferences. In some embodiments, delivery of content is subject topayment of a royalty or other fee.

The content provided by processing system 320 can include the tagged ormarked song, advertisement, or other work, and may also include a workthat was being played during the time the end user made his selection.In some embodiments, the content may also include enhanced contentrelated to the selected work, including background information on theartist, a coupon to receive a promotional item, or other desiredcontent. The functionality provided by some embodiments can find use incircumstances where a user may wish to contact a business sponsor, butmay not have an immediate method of recording the sponsor's contactinformation. In such a case, a user can simply press a button and tagthe spot, or commercial for delivery at a later time. Some embodimentsutilize an end-user device 305 that includes wireless networkconnectivity functionality. In such a case, when a user hears the spot,the song, or the other content for which he wishes to receive additionalinformation, he can contemporaneously retrieve the requested contentfrom processing system 320.

Various embodiments of processing system 320 can deliver content basedon subscriber preferences indicate the type of information a subscriberwishes to receive. These preferences can include, for example, anindication that upon selecting a song by a particular artist, thesubscriber wishes to receive a list of other songs by the artist, or inthe same genre, for possible purchase or simply for his own edification.In other embodiments, a subscriber may use end-user device 305 toindicate that he wants to receive concert dates for a selected artist,historical information about particular members of a band performing theselected work, or other desired content related to a song, music video,television program, or other work.

In some embodiments, if enough subscribers request the same types ofinformation, processing system 320 may provide a notification tobroadcaster 315 indicating the number of requests. In response to thenotification, broadcaster 315 may then request processing system 320 toprovide the additional information to the broadcaster 315, so thatbroadcaster 315 can broadcast the requested information. In otherembodiments, multiple broadcasters in different areas (not illustrated)may receive the same work to be broadcast, but receive differentenhancing information, such that the eventual broadcast by anyparticular broadcaster may be different than the broadcast of anotherbroadcaster, even though both broadcasters are receiving the same workfrom processing system 320 concurrently.

Referring next to FIG. 4, a method 400 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure is illustrated. Method 400 begins at block 401. Asillustrated in block 405, a system employing a unified numbering system(UNS) receives identifiers identifying particular works, for examplesongs, advertisements, or other broadcast spots. In some embodiments,this includes receiving a PNP message that can include a UNS identifieror a non-UNS identifier, such as a song title, artist name, or the like.In some embodiments, identifiers can also be received from variouscontent providers. Identifiers received from content providers can, insome instances, identifiers that are incompatible with identifiers usedby one or more of the other content providers. The identifiers receivedfrom a content provider can include proprietary or non-proprietaryidentifiers, which are not necessarily incompatible with identifiersreceived from other content providers.

As illustrated in block 409, each of the received identifiers can beassociated with an identifier selected from a set of unique, UNSidentifiers. In some embodiments, the association can be accomplishedbased on a look-up procedure performed to determine if the identifier isa UNS identifier. In other instances, for example where the identifieris a non-UNS identifier, establishing an association with a UNSidentifier can be performed by comparing an alias or other non-UNSidentifier related to corresponding content associated with a work thatis already associated with a UNS identifier. Thus, an associationbetween a received identifier and a work already associated with a UNSidentifier can be established, and on the basis of that association, thereceived work can be associated with a UNS identifier.

As illustrated in block 413, identifiers and other information can bestored in a database. In some embodiments, the identifiers and otherinformation are stored together in a common database, while in someembodiments the identifiers are stored separately from other informationand content. Thus, for example, one database implemented on one or morestorage devices can be used for maintaining a database of UNSidentifiers, another database can be sued to implement storage ofvarious non UNS identifiers and associated content, and yet anotherdatabase or set of databases can be used to store works themselves. Inother embodiments, identifiers, associated content, works, and otherinformation can be stored together in a single database, or in someother desired combination of databases.

As illustrated in block 417, the unique identifiers or other informationassociated with a work can be used to track public performances of thework. For example, a particular work can be identified based on a UNSidentifier received in a push-now-playing (PNP) message. In someembodiments, the fact that a UNS identifier is included in a PNP messagecan be interpreted to mean that the work has been broadcast or otherwisepublicly performed. Thus, if a list or some other collection of UNSidentifiers that have been included in a PNP message is maintained, thatlist can be used to track which works have been publicly performed.

In some embodiments, various acknowledgement indicators, responsesdelivered via alternative media, or other suitable non-PNP messages mayinclude UNS identifiers or other content that can also be used to trackpublic performances of works. For example, a message can include timeindicators, source indicators, or various other information allowing thepublic performance of a work to be tracked to particular individuals,businesses, broadcasters, or other entities with a desired degree ofdetail. Furthermore, in some embodiments, messages may not include UNSidentifiers.

As illustrated in block 423, a determination can be made regardingwhether a work is a song, movie, television show, or otherroyalty-generating work. The determination about whether the work is aroyalty generating work can be made based on a UNS identifier or otherinformation received in a PNP message or other message received from asubscriber or other entity, based on content associated with the work,or using another technique consistent with the present disclosure. Forexample, if a UNS identifier is associated with a copyrighted song, aroyalty indicator flag, or some other suitable indicator, can be set ina UNS database, an enhancing database, a content database, or elsewhere.

As illustrated by block 431, if the work is of a type for which royaltypayments might be due based on the work's public performance, royaltiescan be calculated. Royalty calculations can be based on an agreed amountdue for each performance of the work, based upon various legal orstatutory requirements, or set as otherwise desired. In someembodiments, the determination includes determining whether or not aroyalty is due for a particular public performance of the work. Thus,the amount of royalties calculated can be zero. Note that as usedherein, calculating royalties can include calculating a royalty rate.

As illustrated in block 427, if the work is not a royalty generatingwork, a decision can be made to determine if the work is a revenuegenerating work, for example an advertising spot or another type of workthat someone pays to have broadcast. The determination about whether thework is a revenue generating work can be made based on a UNS identifieror other information received in a PNP message or other message receivedfrom a subscriber or other entity, based on content associated with thework, or using another technique consistent with the present disclosure.

As illustrated in block 435, if the work is an advertising spot or otherrevenue generating work, an advertising rate can be calculated. Theadvertising rate can be calculated using information related to trackedpublic performances. For example, a list, database, or other collectionof UNS identifiers can indicate particular advertisements or otherrevenue generating works that have been publicly performed. Contentassociated with the UNS identifiers can include an advertiser's name,address, type of product being advertised, and other relatedinformation. Additionally, other information or content received in aPNP or other message can provide a market, a time of broadcast, or otherdesired information. Using some or all of this information inconjunction with a UNS number, can be used to calculate an advertisingrate based on a number of times a particular work has been broadcast, inwhich market particular spots have been aired, or the like. Furthermore,some embodiments receive information associated with subscriberinteraction with particular content. In some of these embodiments,calculating an advertising rate can include considering how manysubscribers or other users actually interacted with particular portionsof particular works. Note that as used herein, calculating anadvertising rate can include calculating an actual amount of revenuerelated to a particular work.

As illustrated by block 441, if the work is neither a royalty generatingwork nor a revenue generating work, for example if the work is a publicdomain work, a news item, or the like, method 400 can end. As furtherillustrated by block 441, method 400 can end after calculation ofroyalties or an advertising rate.

Referring next to FIG. 5, a method 500 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure is illustrated. Method 500 begins at block 501. Asillustrated by block 505, information or other content related to a workcan be received at a server or other processing system in the form of apush-now-playing (PNP) message sent from a broadcaster. In someembodiments, the received information can be received in a form otherthan a PNP message. For example, the information can be received inresponse to a request for information related to one or more works, orin conjunction with an upload of works or other related content.Furthermore, the information can be received from a source other than abroadcaster; for example, an individual subscriber or a contentprovider.

In some embodiments, the received information can include a UNSidentifier, a non-UNS identifier, an alias, or attributes such as atitle, author, or length. In some embodiments, the received informationcan be associated with a broadcast work, such as a song oradvertisement, or with a work that has been or will be delivered to atargeted individual or group. In some embodiments, the informationrelates to a work that is being delivered from a content provider. Invarious embodiments, an attempt can be made to match a work associatedwith the received content with a work that has been previouslyassociated with a unique identifier stored in a UNS database.

As illustrated in block 507, in response to receiving content or otherinformation related to a work, one or more databases can be accessed bya server or processing system. The accessed databases may reside localto the server or other processing system. In some embodiments, theaccessed databases can be a remote database maintained by a contentprovider, a broadcaster, or otherwise. Furthermore, the one or more ofthe accessed databases can be distributed across multiple physicallocations and machines, maintained in a single location using a singlemachine, or some combination of the above. In at least one embodiment,the accessed database includes a unified number system (UNS) databaseassociating a unique identifier with a particular work, and informationassociated with that work.

As illustrated by block 509, data obtained by accessing one or moredatabases can be used in matching a work associated with receivedinformation with a work previously associated with a UNS identifier. Forexample, the received information can be checked to see if it includes aUNS identifier, and if so, the received UNS identifier can be comparedto UNS identifiers stored in a UNS database. If the received UNSidentifier matches a UNS identifier stored in the UNS database, a matchindicator can be generated.

As illustrated by block 511, a first match indicator can be generated ifa UNS identifier received in a PNP message, in conjunction with a work,or from some other source, matches a UNS identifier stored in a UNSdatabase. The first match indicator can include setting or appending oneor more flag bits to the received identifier, generating a new messageindependent of the received UNS identifier, storing a link to thelocation of the matched UNS identifier within the UNS database, oremploying other suitable indication techniques consistent with thepresent disclosure.

As illustrated by block 513, if the received information includes whatappears to be a UNS identifier, but the received UNS identifier does notmatch a UNS identifier stored in a UNS database, or if the receivedinformation does not include anything that appears to be a UNSidentifier, an attempt can be made to match based on attributes. Thereceived information can include attributes associated with a work, forexample an alias, a title, an artist name, a broadcaster identifier, atime identifier, or other desired attributes associated with a work.Various databases, for example a UNS database, an enhanced contentdatabase, a scheduling database, or the like can include informationthat relates and associates a work to a unique identifier. The receivedattributes can be compared to the attributes in the various databases inan attempt to match the received attributes to the attributes of a workpreviously associated with a UNS identifier.

For example, consider the case in which received attributes include atitle, artist, length and an air time. Assume further that data obtainedfrom one or more databases shows that attributes of a particular workassociated with a particular UNS identifier match the receivedattributes. The conclusion can then be reached that the receivedattributes refer to the work associated with that particular UNSidentifier.

In some embodiments, a desired level of certainty can be set as a limitfor considering whether the attributes match. For example, if athreshold of 70% is used, then 7 out of 10 attributes could be requiredto exactly match before block 513 would return a positive indication. Insome embodiments, ranges can be used. For example, a received attributeindicating an air time of 16 seconds after 5:05 pm can be considered tomatch an attribute of 5:04 and 59 seconds, because the two attributesdiffer by less than 30 seconds. Other limits and thresholds may also beused. Furthermore, various matching techniques, for example translationof all numbers expressed as words into numerical values, root analysis,and noise-word removal can also be utilized in a matching processaccording to some embodiments of the disclosure.

As illustrated in block 515, after the received attributes are matchedto the attributes of a work associated with a UNS identifier, a secondmatch indictor can be generated. The second match indicator, like thefirst match indicator, can include setting or appending one or more flagbits to the received identifier, generating a new message independent ofthe received UNS identifier, storing a link to the location of thematched UNS identifier within the UNS database, or employing othersuitable indication techniques consistent with the present disclosure.

As illustrated in block 517, if the received information does notinclude either a UNS identifier that matches an existing UNS identifier,or attributes that match the attributes of a work associated with anexisting UNS identifier, a no-match indicator can be generated. Like thefirst and second match indicators, the no-match indicator may take theform of a flag, a message, a physical indication, or some other suitableindicator consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in block 519, in response to the no-match indictor, awork associated with the received information can be assigned new UNSidentifier. In some embodiments, assigning a new UNS identifier to thework associated with the received information can include generating awork order, email or other message indicating that manual action mightbe required. In some embodiments, however, especially when the receivedinformation includes a work, may not require manual action. For example,in the case where a content provider sends a work and related content tobe catalogued for the first time, there may not be a UNS identifierassociated with either the work or any other work having the sameattributes. In that case, the work can be stored in a content database,the content and attributes associated with the work can be stored in anenrichment database, and the UNS identifier assigned to that work can bestored in a UNS database, as illustrated by block 521. In someembodiments, the UNS identifier can be stored without storing theremainder of the information. Furthermore, some or all of the receivedinformation can be stored together or separately in one or a number ofdatabases.

As illustrated by block 523, after a work has been matched to orassociated with a UNS identifier, the UNS identifier can be stored in aperformance list. It should be noted that various embodiments, forexample embodiments that do not implement tracking, can omit block 523,as desired. The performance list can include any of various types ofworks, including advertisement spots, songs, television shows, or othermedia content that has been provided, performed, or broadcast. Bystoring the UNS identifier in a performed list, a more accurateaccounting of royalties due, advertising payments due, or variousroyalty and advertising rates can be calculated. Method 500 ends asillustrated by block 525.

Referring next FIG. 6, a method 600 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure is illustrated. Method 600 begins as illustrated byblock 601. As illustrated by block 603, a subscriber preference relatedto a song, advertisement, or other work. In some embodiments, thesubscriber may include a broadcaster or other entity that provides worksto others via a broadcast medium such as radio or the Internet. Asubscriber may also include an end user or consumer to whom works areprovided. The subscriber preference may include an indication aboutwhich particular works a subscriber wants to receive, which informationrelated to a work the subscriber wishes to receive, the method by whichthe work or related content is to be delivered, the frequency with whichthe subscriber wants to receive information, the criticality ofdelivery, alternate preferences, or other desired information.

In some embodiments, the preference may include a UNS identifierindicating a work that has been delivered to a user. A preference mayalso include a UNS identifier associated with a work related to anotherwork, which has been received by a subscriber via broadcast, Internet,or other means. A preference from a broadcaster, for example, mayinclude the UNS identifier of a work for which a subscriber desires toobtain additional attributes or related content. In some embodiments, apreference may include the UNS identifier of a song a subscriber wantsdownloaded to a song repository or content database. In someembodiments, preferences may not include UNS identifiers.

Subscriber preferences can be received via any of various sources,including unsolicited messages, responses to inquiries, or third partyservices. Furthermore, the preferences can be delivered via the PSTN,the Internet, Satellite, cellular telephones, wireless networks, orother suitable transmission media.

As illustrated by block 605, preferences from a second subscriber canalso be received. In some embodiments, the preferences from the secondsubscriber can relate to the same work to which preferences from anothersubscriber relate, although the preferences themselves are different. Inone or more embodiments, the preferences can relate to all works to bereceived by the subscribers from a particular source. For example, onesubscriber may submit a preference that indicates one subscriber wantsto receive a song's title and the artist's name whenever a song isreceived via an HD2 broadcast, while another subscriber may indicatethat he wants to receive a song's highest popularity rating in additionto the song's title and the artist's name. Furthermore, one of thesubscriber's may indicate that he wishes to receive other content orinformation via a second medium for every song broadcast during aparticular time frame.

As illustrated by block 607, the unique UNS identifier associated withthe work for which the first subscriber and the second subscriberindicated preferences can be determined utilizing various techniquesconsistent with the present disclosure. For example, the UNS identifiercan be included in the subscriber preferences, or the preferences may bematched to a UNS identifier based on associated content, attributes, orotherwise.

As illustrated by block 609, a determination can be made regardingwhether the song advertisement or other work referred to in asubscriber's preference is currently being broadcast. The determinationcan be made based on information contained in the subscriberpreferences, based on the content of a PNP message, based on a playlist,a list of provided content, or another desired technique consistent withthe present disclosure.

As illustrated by blocks 615 and 617, in some embodiments, content canbe delivered to the first subscriber and the second subscriber inresponse to a determination that a particular work is currently beingbroadcast or otherwise provided to the first and second subscriber. Thecontent to be delivered to the first subscriber can be based on thefirst subscriber's preferences, while the content delivered to thesecond subscriber can be based on the second subscriber's preferences.Thus, in some embodiments, even though the same work is being providedto both the first subscriber and the second subscriber, each subscribercan receive different additional content related to the work.

As illustrated by block 613, if a work referred to by the subscribers'preferences is not currently being broadcast or otherwise delivered, adetermination can be made regarding whether or not a work referenced bythe subscribers' preferences has been previously broadcast. Thedetermination can be based on content included in one or more of thesubscriber preferences, information retrieved from one or moredatabases, information included in a PNP or other message, or in anothersuitable manner consistent with the principles of the presentdisclosure.

As illustrated in block 619, in response to a determination that thesong or other work has been previously broadcast or otherwise publiclyperformed, the song, advertisement, work or other related content can bedelivered to subscribers. Method 600 ends as illustrated by block 623.

It should be appreciated that although the illustrated embodimentsprimarily providing content based on a work being currently orpreviously broadcast, in some embodiments, content can be provided to asubscriber while a work is pending broadcast or delivery.

The methods and processes discussed previously, as well as otherembodiments, may be implemented in a processing system executing a setof instructions stored in memory, or on a removable computer readablemedium. An example of a system according to some embodiments isillustrated in FIG. 7. Referring now to FIG. 7, a high-level blockdiagram of a processing system is illustrated and discussed. Processingsystem 700 includes one or more central processing units, such as CPU A705 and CPU B 707, which may be conventional microprocessorsinterconnected with various other units via at least one system bus 710.CPU A 705 and CPU B 707 may be separate cores of an individual,multi-core processor, or individual processors connected via aspecialized bus 711. In some embodiments, CPU A 705 or CPU B 707 may bea specialized processor, such as a graphics processor, otherco-processor, or the like.

Processing system 700 includes random access memory (RAM) 720; read-onlymemory (ROM) 715, wherein the ROM 715 could also be erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM) or electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM); and input/output (I/O) adapter725, for connecting peripheral devices such as disk units 730, opticaldrive 736, or tape drive 737 to system bus 710; a user interface adapter740 for connecting keyboard 745, mouse 750, speaker 755, microphone 760,or other user interface devices to system bus 710; communicationsadapter 765 for connecting processing system 700 to an informationnetwork such as the Internet or any of various local area networks, widearea networks, telephone networks, or the like; and display adapter 770for connecting system bus 710 to a display device such as monitor 775.Mouse 750 has a series of buttons 780, 785 and may be used to control acursor shown on monitor 775.

It will be understood that processing system 700 may include othersuitable data processing systems without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, processing system 700 may include bulkstorage and cache memories, which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Various disclosed embodiments can be implemented in hardware, software,or a combination containing both hardware and software elements. In oneor more embodiments, the invention is implemented in software, whichincludes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode,etc. Some embodiments may be realized as a computer program product, andmay be implemented as a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumembodying program code for use by, or in connection with, a computer, aprocessor, or other suitable instruction execution system.

For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computerreadable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media maycomprise any of various types of computer storage media, includingvolatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implementedin any suitable method or technology for storage of information such ascomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM,ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by a computer. Data structures andtransmission of data (including wireless transmission) particular toaspects of the disclosure are also encompassed within the scope of thedisclosure.

Various embodiments have been described for delivering content relatedto a commercial media program. Other variations and modifications of theembodiments disclosed may be made based on the description provided,without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for use in a server device including aprocessor and associated memory, the method comprising: receiving amessage from a subscriber, the message including: a subscriberidentifier; one or more first identifying attributes associated with afirst media-work played-out by the subscriber; performing a first-levelmatch between the one or more first identifying attributes and aplurality of unique identifiers included in a database, the plurality ofunique identifiers linking content attributes of different media-worksto different unique identifiers, the first-level match including:comparing the one or more first identifying attributes to the pluralityof unique identifiers to determine whether the one or more firstidentifying attributes include a first unique identifier matching any ofthe plurality of unique identifiers; in response to the first-levelmatch indicating that the one or more first identifying attributes donot include any of the plurality of unique identifiers, performing asecond-level match, the second-level match including: comparing the oneor more first identifying attributes to the content attributes of thedifferent media-works to attempt to identify one or more matchingcontent attributes, wherein the one or more matching content attributesmatch the one or more first identifying attributes; in response toidentifying one or more matching content attributes linking the firstmedia-work to a particular unique identifier included in the database,the particular unique identifier is linked to the one or more matchingcontent attributes; selecting enhanced content based on the particularunique identifier; and delivering the enhanced content to thesubscriber.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message from asubscriber includes: receiving information indicating that the firstmedia-work is being played-out by the subscriber.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the message from the subscriber includes a list ofmedia-works.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content attributesinclude media-work aliases.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein: at leastone of the plurality of unique identifiers is associated with aplurality of different media-work aliases identifying a same media-work.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to both: thefirst-level match indicating that the one or more first identifyingattributes do not include any of the plurality of unique identifiers;and the second-level match failing to identify one or more matchingcontent attributes linking the first media-work to any unique identifierincluded in the database: associating the one or more first identifyingattributes with another unique identifier; and storing the anotherunique identifier in the database.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: selecting the enhanced content based on subscriberpreferences indicating a type of enhanced content to be delivered.
 8. Aserver device comprising: a processor; memory coupled to the processor;a database storing a plurality of unique identifiers linking contentattributes of different media-works to different unique identifiers; atleast one communications interface coupling the processor to thedatabase and to a communications network; the communications interfaceconfigured to receive a message from a subscriber, the messageincluding: a subscriber identifier; one or more first identifyingattributes associated with a first media-work played-out by thesubscriber; the processor configured to: perform a first-level matchbetween the one or more first identifying attributes and the pluralityof unique identifiers, the first-level match including: compare the oneor more first identifying attributes to the plurality of uniqueidentifiers to determine whether the one or more first identifyingattributes include a first unique identifier matching any of theplurality of unique identifiers; in response to the first-level matchindicating that the one or more first identifying attributes do notinclude any of the plurality of unique identifiers, perform asecond-level match, the second-level match including: compare the one ormore first identifying attributes to the content attributes of thedifferent media-works to attempt to identify one or more matchingcontent attributes, wherein the one or more matching content attributesmatch the one or more first identifying attributes; in response to thesecond-level match identifying matching content attributes, link thefirst media-work to a particular unique identifier included in thedatabase, wherein the particular unique identifier is already linked tothe one or more matching content attributes; select enhanced contentbased on the particular unique identifier; and deliver the enhancedcontent to the subscriber via the communications interface.
 9. Theserver of claim 8, wherein the at least one communications interface isfurther configured to: receive information indicating that the firstmedia-work is being played-out by the subscriber.
 10. The server ofclaim 8, wherein the message from the subscriber includes a list ofmedia-works.
 11. The server of claim 8, wherein the content attributesinclude media-work aliases.
 12. The server of claim 11, wherein: atleast one of the plurality of unique identifiers is associated with aplurality of different media-work aliases identifying a same media-work.13. The server of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configuredto: in response to both: the first-level match indicating that the oneor more first identifying attributes do not include any of the pluralityof unique identifiers; and the second-level match failing to identifyone or more matching content attributes linking the first media-work toany unique identifier included in the database: associating the one ormore first identifying attributes with another unique identifier; andstoring the another unique identifier in the database.